1977 Topps Baseball #483 - Richie Zisk

• Richie Zisk spent the 1977 season with the Chicago White Sox as one of the "South Side Hit Men." After the 1976 season Zisk was traded (with Silvio Martinez) to the White Sox for Terry Forster and Rich Gossage.
• Zisk was an AL All Star in 1977. He started in left field and went 2 for 3 with 2 RBI. Richie enjoyed his finest season in 1977. He was able to cash in after the season, signing a contract with the Texas Rangers that quintupled his salary.
• Fun fact: As of 2008 Zisk would occasionally take jobs as a substitute teacher (history) at the high school where his wife works. I wonder how much teaching actually gets done in those days. All it would take is one kid to ask a few questions about baseball and "poof" - there goes the lesson plan. When I was in high school my geometry teacher was also our baseball coach. It was my "job" to derail the lesson as much as possible with baseball talk.
• 1977 Stats: .290, 30 HR, 101 RBI
• 1977 Highlights:
• April 7 - Had four hits, including a home run, in a losing cause as the White Sox lost 9-5 on opening day to the expansion Toronto Blue Jays. Zisk had some things to say about the poor weather conditions after the game.
• April 26 - Scored three runs, had three hits, and knocked in three runs in Chicago's 10-7 victory over the Detroit Tigers.
• July 1 - Homered twice and knocked in all five Chicago runs in the White Sox' 5-2 win over the Minnesota Twins
• Other card blogs: 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1983